Guard-rail chair



No. 62|,490. Patented Mar. 2l, |899. D. CRANE.

GUARD BAIL CHAIR.

(Application led Mar. 29, 1898.) (No'llodel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented Mar. 2|, |899. n. CRANE. l GUARD RAIL CHAIR.

\ (Application led Mar. 29, 189

No. 62|,49o.

2 Sheets-*Sheet 2.

3 twente@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID CRANE, OF RUTLAND, VERMONT.

GUARD-RAIL CHAIR.

sPnIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,490, dated March 21, 1899.

Applicationvfned March 29, 1898.

Serial No. 675,619. (No model.)

to form the guard-rail.

With this object in View my invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention most nearly appertains to make and yuse the same,- I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, having reference to the accompanying drawin'gs, forming part of this specication, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of that p0rtion of the main rail and guard-rail between the broken lines l l and 2 2. of Fig.- 4, illustrating also in operative position the chair, clamp-plate, and tie. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the chair detached.` Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clamp-plate detached. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a section of the main rail with guard-rail secured in position in accordance with Imy invention. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on a plane indicated by the broken line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the separating-block which iits between the outer en d of the guard-rail and the main rail. Fig. 7 is a-transversevertical section taken on a planeindicated bythe broken line '7 7 of Fig. 4:.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts wherever they occur in the various iigur'es of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by letters, A indicates one of the main track-rails, and B a guard-rail to be secured inside of the trackrail.

C and Dare the ties'or timbers under the ends of the guard-rail, and E, F, and G are vthe ties or timbers under the straight middle rail into the inner side of the blocks H, and

spikes J are driven into the timbers C and D,

with their heads overlapping the beveled ends l I-I of the blocks H to prevent endwise movement of the blocks. Spikes J are driven into the timbers C and D outside of themain rail and inside of the guard-rail, with their heads overlapping the flanges of the rails.

K indicates my improved chair, which isformed with an opening L to receive the guardrail, said opening being enlarged at its upper end L' 'to support the head of the guard-rail, and a groove L2 is formed in the upper face of the chair to accommodate the iiange of a wheel passing over the rail.

The chair is cut away at M and M to cause it to lit snugly the inside of the main rail,

and the inner end M2 of the chair is inclined downward and inward, the whole chair resting upon a base N, formed with it and provided with notches N2 to receive spikes. A clamp-plate O is first laid upon the timber or tie,'with its outer hook-flange end O engaging over the outer edge of the flange of the main rail. The chair is then placed in positionA upon the clamp-plate, with the notches N2 of the chair registering with holes O2 in the clamp-plate, and spikes P are driven through the notches and holes, with their heads projecting over .the sides and inner end of the chair, there being no spikes used be' tween the two rails or on the outside of the main rail in the ties or timbers upon which the chairs are placed. vIt will be noticed that the bottom of the opening L` in the chair, in which the guard-rail is seated, is raised a slight distance above the timber. upon which the main rail rests, so that a small rail may be used for the guard-rail and still bring the headset' the main rail and guard-rail on the same level. This is of great advantage, inasmuch as it is not absolutely necessary to have the guardrail as heavy as the main rail, and is of special advantage where, as is now the case with some railroads, four-inch rails are being removed and iive-inch rails substituted, because it permits of the utilization of'some of the old rails as guard-rails, thus saving the same length of new rails.

The fact that the guard-rail and main rail are both firmly supported without the useof spikes, either between the rails or outside of the main rail, is also ot' special advantage, inasmuch as the removal and replacement of the guard-rail does not involve the drawing and redriving of many spikes, an operation which tends to rot out the timbers and shorten their lives.

I have found by practical experiment that a guarda-ail will be held so firmly with this chair that the usual length of fifteen feet can be shortened to ten, rendering it possible to cut three guard-rails out of one vthirty-foot length instead of two, as heretofore.

Vthile I have illustrated and described the best means now known to me for carrying ont my invention, I do not wish to be understood as restricting myself to the exact details of construction shown, but hold that any slight changes or variations, such as might suggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic, would properly fall within the limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The guard-rail chair herein described, consisting of a base and a main body projecting upward therefrom, the outer edge of the main body being shaped to fit the inner edge of the main rail, and an opening being formed transversely through the body to receive the guard-rail, said opening being located to support the head of the guard-rail on a level with the head of the main rail and the flange .of the guard-rail above the iiange of the main rail, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the timber, of a flat plate laid thereon, provided with spikeopenings and a hook-turned fiange on its outer 5 o end, the main rail resting upon the clampplate with the outer edge of its iiange under the hook-iiange, a chair mounted upon the clamp plate having its outer end fitting against the web and between the head and flange of the main rail and provided with a transverse opening, the guard-rail inserted in said opening and supported with its head on a level with the head of the main rail and its flange higher than the flange of the'main 6o rail, the base of the chair being provided with notches registering with the spike-holes of the clamp-plate, and spikes driven in the notches and holes into the timber, with their heads overlapping the sides and inner ends of the chair, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described guard-rail chair, provided with the base N having notches N2 in its sides and inner end, and the main body projecting upward from 'the base, shaped at 7o its outer end to lit against the web and between the head and flange of the main rail and provided with a transverse opening L located above the level of the base and adapted to receive the guard-rail, said opening being enlarged at its upper end L to provide a seat for the head of the guard-rail, and a groove L2 being formed in the upper surface of the guard-rail to accommodate the flanges of the Wheels passing over the rail, substantially as 8o described.

DAVID CRANE.

XNfitnesses:

E. S. WHITTAKER, Trios. C. RoBBINs. 

